


A Night at the Ryerson House

by BlurglesmurfKlaine, Carmex, Esperanto, justgleekout, klainetrashnumberone, syntheticpoetry



Category: Glee
Genre: Halloween, Haunted Houses, M/M, Round Robin, Spooky, round robin story, spending the night in a haunted house
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:42:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlurglesmurfKlaine/pseuds/BlurglesmurfKlaine, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmex/pseuds/Carmex, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esperanto/pseuds/Esperanto, https://archiveofourown.org/users/justgleekout/pseuds/justgleekout, https://archiveofourown.org/users/klainetrashnumberone/pseuds/klainetrashnumberone, https://archiveofourown.org/users/syntheticpoetry/pseuds/syntheticpoetry
Summary: The New Directions make a pact to spend the night in the old abandoned Ryerson house in the hopes of being blessed with good luck for Regionals. Will they make it through the night or will their hopes be dashed when they discover they are not alone in the house?
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Kurt Hummel
Comments: 35
Kudos: 30





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am incredibly excited to present the results of the first writing collaboration I have ever participated in! This is a “round robin” story which means that each chapter is written by a different author, continuing the story from where the previous author left off. Everyone took a turn writing a chapter and then I persuaded Blurglesmurfklaine to co-write the ending with me. I think we were all surprised to see where the story went and I hope you will be too! It will range from cute and fluffy to legitimately spooky.   
> ~ Esperanto
> 
> Special thank you to mytrashunicorn, who did not write chapters but signed up to read along as we were working and left us lots of positive encouragement and made suggestions.
> 
>  **Story Content Warnings** : mentions of blood, mentions of dead bodies, mentions of ghosts/haunting, creepy dolls, general spooky vibes. There is nothing graphic but it definitely gets legitimately creepy at points.

* * *

**Written by Esperanto**

* * *

“We’re going to lose,” Finn said, morosely.

“You don’t know that,” Mercedes countered.

“No, Frankenteen is right. We sucked today. We’ve been sucking all week and today… Am I crazy or were we actually worse than we were on Monday? If something doesn’t change we are going to lose Regionals.”

Santana wasn’t crazy. It had been an epically bad rehearsal. They had been off key, Finn was so dangerously bad at the choreography that he was literally taking the rest of them down with him, and when they tried on their costumes they were horrified to discover that a mix-up at the tailors had led to none of them fitting.

The New Directions needed a miracle.

“Enough moping!” Puck chided. “We need a plan! I say we pay a little visit to the competition.”

“No violence,” Brittany insisted.

“If anyone has any better ideas, I’m all ears.” Puck looked around the circle of depressed teenagers.

After a long pause, Artie finally spoke up. “I have an idea! It’s a little nuts but hear me out. We’ve all heard the legend about the old abandoned Ryerson house, right?”

Kurt’s eyes grew wide. “You mean that no one has ever been able to last a whole night there? Yeah, I’ve heard about it.” He shuddered.

“Well, that’s true but that’s only because the reward for staying a whole night is so good! I heard that if you can last a whole night—from sundown to sunrise—that you are blessed with a whole year of good luck.”

Brittany, Santana, and Rachel all nodded along as Artie explained. When he was done, Rachel added on, “Well, I heard that it’s double if you do it on Halloween. If we’re going to do this, we might as well get as much luck as possible.”

And so a plan was hatched. A fake Halloween party was invented, parents were lied to, and overnight bags were packed. They agreed that they had to do this as a team, so there could be no weak link.

* * *

“Warblers, meeting adjourned!” Wesley announced. Blaine let out a sigh of relief. It had been one of their longer meetings and he was eager to get back to his dorm room so he could take a nice, hot shower.

“How’s Kurt doing?” David asked him.

Blaine smiled. David and Wesley had asked Blaine for regular updates about the McKinley spy ever since Blaine had explained that Kurt had snuck into Dalton to get away from a bully. They didn’t know the details but they could tell he was upset when they met him and hoped things turned around for him.

“He’s good. We had coffee last week and you’ll never believe what the New Directions have planned. They’re going to try to do the Ryerson house… and on Halloween no less! I told him that’s all just a bunch of hocus pocus but he sounded serious about it. I guess they think it will give them the edge at Regionals or something.”

David and Wesley chuckled.

When Blaine, David, and Wesley were safely out of earshot, Thad turned to Nick and Jeff with a mischievous smile on his face. “Did you hear that, boys? I say we give them a night to remember.”


	2. Chapter 2

* * *

**Written by Syntheticpoetry**

* * *

Rachel was the first to arrive. As the rest of the New Directions began to trickle in, forming a very conspicuous crowd in the middle of the sidewalk just outside of the Ryerson house, she tapped her foot and made a dramatic show of checking the time on her phone. “I thought we all agreed to meet here at 4:30. It’s 5:00.”

“Calm down, little Miss Priss,” Santana said pointedly. “We’re all here now, aren’t we?”

“This place is already giving me the creeps,” Kurt shuffled, eyeing the building with disdain. “Is it just me, or does anyone else think it looks like a weird dollhouse?”

It was certainly the brightest shade of pink any of them had ever seen, as far as houses go. Counting the windows from the outside, there appeared to be at least 3 levels. There was a large white balcony on the second floor, stretching halfway around the entire building and circling around the back and each window was trimmed in white. All in all, it did not look like a house that should elicit any sort of fear. Yet the consensus amongst them all was the same.

“Yes, absolutely,” Artie said. 

“Really weird,” Puck added. 

“How did he even afford this place?” Santana narrowed her eyes at the even brighter pink door decorated with large X made out of yellow caution tape. 

“Who renovates a house to look like that?” Finn asked. 

“Forget all of that, how are we supposed to get in?” Rachel asked. 

After the initial shock of the aesthetic of the house wore off, they could see her point— all of the windows were boarded up.

“Lucky for you guys, I plan ahead,” Puck said, zipping open his duffle bag to pull out a crowbar. 

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Kurt shifted his gaze from the crowbar to the house and then back again. 

“Do you want to win or not?” Santana asked. “Come on, let’s go.” 

“I wonder if there are ghosts inside,” Brittany said as she followed Santana and Puck up the walkway. 

“Don’t even start with that!” Mercedes shuddered as the rest of the group trailed after them. Kurt lingered a few paces behind, typing a message to Blaine as they circled the house. Puck seemed to be searching for access through the basement.

 **Kurt 5:15 p.m.  
** If I die you know where to find my body. This place is so CREEPY

 **Blaine 5:16 p.m.  
** If you hear a noise don’t go investigate it, that’s always the biggest mistake anyone makes in horror movies

 **Kurt 5:16 p.m.  
** You are SO not helping right now

 **Blaine 5:17 p.m.  
** Not too late for you to blow it off

 **Kurt 5:17 p.m.  
** So you guys can win? No way

 **Blaine 5:18 p.m.**   
Remind me how is this gonna help you guys win again?

“Kurt!” Rachel hissed, causing him to jump and nearly drop his phone. “Who are you texting?”

“None of your business,” Kurt replied scathingly, trying to will his heart to return to a normal pace. 

“It better not be our competition!” Puck said, leaning his weight into the crowbar. They had managed to locate a boarded up basement window in the back of the house, shielded from view by some overgrown bushes. With a loud _crack!_ Puck had separated the piece of wood from the window and kicked it aside. He gave one quick look around before smashing the glass, using the crowbar to clear the frame of any jagged pieces. 

“We’re in! Who’s up first?”

“Doesn’t it make sense for one person to go in and then just unlock the front door?” Mercedes asked. 

Kurt leaned over to peek in through the opening into the dark basement. Even without much light to see, he could _smell_ the mustiness and dust. He straightened up again to discover all eyes had suddenly fallen on him. “There is _no way_ I’m climbing in through there, it’s filthy.”

“You’re kinda the smallest,” Finn said. 

“Are you kidding me? What about Rachel?!” Kurt argued indignantly. 

“I have an idea,” Santana interrupted, holding up her fist. She was clenching a bundle of sticks. “Whoever draws the shortest one climbs in then lets the rest of us in.”

There was some grumbling, but everyone was in general agreement that it seemed fair. Until Kurt had drawn the shortest stick.

“Sorry dude,” Finn shrugged. “But fair is fair.”

Kurt continued to mumble darkly under his breath as he dropped down to his stomach to shimmy his way backwards through the opening. Halfway through, he still could not feel anything solid beneath himself as he kicked around.

“It’s probably not that high, just let go,” Santana said impatiently. 

“Shut up!” Kurt shot back, lowering himself down a little more as he continued to grip the window frame. He was still kicking at air though. Resigning to the fact that he would have no choice but to follow her suggestion, he was mentally preparing himself to take a deep breath and just let go when a large spider crawled onto his left hand. With a yelp, he let go of the window frame and landed directly onto his ass, coughing as a cloud of dust filled the air. 


	3. Chapter 3

* * *

**Written by BlurglesmurfKlaine**

* * *

Kurt lands right on his tailbone, sending a shockwave of pain up through his spine. He sputters through his coughing fit and lets out a loud groan once he’s over it, rubbing the spot that will surely bruise. His ass is going to be _so_ sore tomorrow, and doubt over this ridiculous plan begins to seep into the crevasses of his mind. 

“Shit, dude!” Finn’s voice echoes from above. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Kurt grumbles back, dusting off his Givenchy pants and muttering _“Probably not that high_ my left ass cheek,” under his breath as he stands. 

“Can you see the door?” Rachel asks, not even sparing a moment to inquire about Kurt’s wellbeing.

He squints. The dying daylight of the setting sun trickling into the basement from the opening is hardly substantial enough to see anything other than vague silhouettes, although it does wash the room a strangely warm tint. 

“I can’t see much of anything, to be honest,” he admits, carefully trekking away from the window in search of an entry point to the main part of the house. “I’m going to look for some way to get in.” 

“Alright, be careful!” Tina calls down to him.

“Watch your step. Wouldn’t want you to get tetanus,” Mike warns.

“I love that game,” Brittany mumbles aloofly.

Though they can’t see him, Kurt rolls his eyes and continues forward. Soon enough, though, without the privilege of his sight, his mind takes every other heightened sense and runs wild with it.

The long-settled dust lying dormant on every available surface begins to kick up as he makes his way through the basement, drying his throat even more than his rising nerves are. The further he strays from the light, the more impenetrable the darkness becomes, almost tangible. Its thickness ghosts over the back of his neck, making the hairs there stand on end—an eerie feeling only comparable to someone hovering a hand just above his skin, but not touching.

Swallowing, he outstretches his right hand and places it on the wall, using it as a guide. As he moves, the ancient, brittle paint chips and flakes beneath his fingertips, and Kurt can’t shake the image of dry, aged, cracking skin from his mind. 

Now that he’s away from the window, the only sound audible is the steady _drip, drip, drip,_ of a leaking pipe, constant as a metronome. At least it is until the faint tinkling of a piano comes into earshot— _jesus, how big_ is _this place?_ —terribly out of tune, but still recognizable as _You Are My Sunshine._

After a few seconds though, Kurt realizes the same part is being played over and over—the final few bars of _Please don’t take my sunshine away,_ on repeat.

Kurt has every intention of opening his mouth to yell at his friends for what is so _clearly_ a practical joke, when he suddenly bumps into something solid and warm with a light thud and a muffled, “Oof!” nearly tumbling backwards. 

It’s only when a hand grasps his forearm tightly that Kurt realizes he ran into some _one,_ and _screams._

* * *

**Blaine 5:18 p.m.**

Remind me how is this gonna help you guys win again?

Blaine stares at his phone as the typing bubbles come up, though, when they disappear, a new message doesn’t take their place.

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath, wondering if Nick, Jeff, and Thad might have already followed through on _whatever_ ridiculous plot they had planned.

The light coming from his phone is the only thing that illuminates the dark living room of the Rhyerson house. It’s ambient enough that he can just barely make out that _every single piece_ of furniture… is pink. To each their own, of course, but _god,_ at what cost?

As soon as Blaine realized the notoriously rambunctious trio was missing from rehearsal, he knew something was up. Wes, in an absolute rage over his disbelief that “those three meatheads would miss a rehearsal _this_ close to sectionals,” tracked their location to the abandoned mansion. 

Blaine had never volunteered for a mission so quickly. If he has to foil his teammates’ plans in order to keep them from messing with Kurt, that’s exactly what he’ll do.

“Thad? Jeff? Nick?” he calls out into the otherwise empty house. Only silence, because actually getting a response from them would be too easy.

With a sigh, he treks onward, through the kitchen and into the laundry annex, until he finds a door. It seems to be the perfect hiding spot for the troublemakers of the Warblers. He opens the door, revealing a dark staircase leading down to god knows where. It doesn’t look entirely safe, but he decides to take the plunge and head down anyways; he’s got to find Jeff and the others before the New Directions do.

The rotting wood of the floorboards softly keen beneath his footfall as he descends into the darkness of what he assumes is a basement.

He’s halfway down them when he hears the faint music of a piano playing. For a fleeting moment, he thinks it may be one of the Warblers, but then remembers that none of them know how to actually play it.

Finally his shoes hit what feels like a cement foundation, though it’s too dark down here to completely tell. 

He’s only taken one more step when a solid form runs right into him, rebounding off of him. Instinctively, Blaine grabs a hold of whoever he just collided with to keep them from falling, and they let out a bone-chilling scream.

 _Oh._ Blaine would recognize _that_ voice anywhere.

“Kurt?” Blaine questions, and the person stops struggling against him. “Kurt, is that you? I can’t see very well.”

Unfamiliar but welcomed hands press against Blaine’s chest, as if checking that he’s _actually_ a human. “Bl-Blaine?” Kurt’s voice is even more clearly recognizable now, and the smile on Blaine’s face that comes from hearing it is automatic. 

Blaine shines the light from his phone screen up between them. “Yeah,” he murmurs softly. “It’s me.”

Kurt _launches_ himself into Blaine, so fast that it elicits a small, “oof,” from him. Blaine returns the hug, holding Kurt tight as he winds his arms around his back and hooks his chin over Kurt’s shoulder. 

Eventually, they pull apart. “What the hell are you doing here?” Kurt asks. “Not that I’m complaining, because it’s more terrifying than Rachel’s wardrobe down here.”

“I’m pretty sure some of the Warblers are trying to mess with you guys,” Blaine admits. “The rest of the council agrees that we don’t want any bad blood between the two groups.”

“That explains it, then.” Kurt laughs, releasing his nerves with it.

Blaine furrows his eyebrows. “Explains what?”

“The piano I heard playing. You’re the only one I know who could manage to bang out a tune or two in complete darkness.”

“I heard that too, actually… Wasn’t me.”

It’s still too dark to see, but the rolling of Kurt’s eyes back into his skull is audible when he replies with an unconvinced, “Uh-huh, sure.” Before Blaine can even defend himself, Kurt barrels on. “I still have to let the rest of the New Directions in,” he explains. “Do you mind leading me the way you came in?”

* * *

When the front door swings open, the first thing Kurt hears is, “What took you so lo— _SPY!”_

Rachel’s voice is loud and grating, and he feels Blaine all but flinch beside him.

“Oh, I bet I could tell you what took them so long.”

“Puck, gross! Why? That’s my brother!”

“Ignoring you and you,” Kurt grits out, pointing to Finn and Puck, “and as for your un-royal highness, we’ve been over this. Blaine is not a spy. He’s a friend. And clearly smarter than all of us, since he actually thought to use the back door.”

“Not yet he didn’t.”

“Santana!” Kurt pinches the bridge of his nose while Blaine stifles a laugh. “I’m so, so sorry about them,” he apologizes. 

“A small price to pay for spending time with you,” Blaine jokes. “Steal of a lifetime,” he adds with a wink and shoulder nudge.

Kurt’s cheeks don’t stop feeling warm as the rest of the New Directions join them in the house. 

Whatever “spirit” haunts the Ryerson house can take his soul, but Blaine Anderson has already stolen his heart.


	4. Chapter 4

* * *

**Written by justgleekout**

* * *

“So, _Blaine_ , if you’re not a spy, what are you doing here exactly? Trying to steal our luck?” Rachel said, squinting furiously. 

Blaine swallowed hard. He knew he was in trouble now. “Eh, actually.. I might have told the Warblers about your plan, and they thought it would be a good idea to come here and eh.. scare you.” 

All of the New Directions glared at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Puck scoffed. Sam scowled at him, “Nice going dude.”

“It wasn’t my idea! I’m here to stop them! I promise!” Blaine explained defensively. 

“Maybe you shouldn’t have told them in the first place, gel boy.” Santana crossed her arms. “How do we know you’re not a part of the scheme? Hm?” She walked closer to him until their noses almost touched. Blaine quickly backed away from her until he bumped into Kurt, who caught him by his arms. 

“Santana, if he was, he wouldn’t have told us all this,” Kurt said, rolling his eyes. “At least now we’re prepared. Let's just get in and earn our luck for regionals” 

Santana looked angrily back and forth between them but eventually backed away, still looking at Blaine suspiciously. 

“Kurt’s right. No matter what those guys have prepared for us in there, at least we know it’s them. And not this so-called ‘spirit of Ryerson,’” Mike said.

“I say we spread out and find those little Dalton bastards! Give them a taste of their own medicine, if you know what I mean?” Puck said with a dark glisten in his eyes. 

Mercedes eyes grew wide. “Split up? Oh hell no! Are you insane?! I don’t want to die alone in this hell house!!” 

“Maybe we can go in pairs?” Quinn offered with a smile. “I’ll go with you, Mercedes.” Mercedes gave her an appreciative smile and nodded. 

“I’ll go with Brittany!” Santana said quickly. “And Tina, you go with Mike. Artie with Sam. Rachel with Finn. Puck with Lauren, and Kurt, you go with your traitor boyfriend. 

Everyone nodded in agreement. Kurt however, turned red. “He is— we are not—” he started protesting but Santana cut him off. 

“I don’t care! Let’s just go already! If we don’t get in there before the sun has officially set, we will have gone through all this crap for nothing!” 

“But guys!” Rachel protested. “We were supposed to do this together! As a team!” She pouted. 

“Rachel, if this spirit won’t kill you tonight, _I_ will if we don’t split up.” At that, Santana took Brittany’s hand and walked inside. “Oh, and if you find a Warbler, let the rest of us know in the group chat! As soon as we’ve found all of them we will assemble in the living room and set up our sleeping equipment.” 

They walked in one by one. Rachel stayed glued to Finn’s side, shuffling slowly into the building, the last ones in. As soon as they were all inside, the door slammed shut behind them and darkness filled the room. Which immediately triggered a high pitched scream from Rachel. 

“For christ’s sake Berry, it’s been two seconds! We are supposed to last the entire night!” Santana said. 

Rachel opened her mouth to say something, but the group had already moved on. Sam started handing each duo a flashlight before turning on his own. Illuminated by the faint yellow light, the dusty pink interior looked absolutely gross. The curtains were stained, the wallpaper was flaking everywhere, and all of the woodwork was cracked and moldy. “Alright, everyone! Let’s go,” Sam said. “Artie and I will check the hallways and cupboards around here because we can’t go up or down any stairs.” 

They divided the house amongst themselves and got on their ways. Kurt, Blaine, Quinn, and Mercedes went upstairs to go to their assigned areas. Quinn and Mercedes got the bedrooms on the second floor and Kurt and Blaine got the attic. 

The stairs were creaking dangerously. Cold drafts seemed to come from the walls. The whole house seemed to moan with every step they took. 

“I really don’t like this place,” Mercedes said, clutching Kurt while she still could. 

“Mercedes, it’s just an old house. You’re not actually in danger. You know that, right?” Kurt patted her arm to soothe her a little. Secretly, he was also trying to convince himself. 

Once at the top of the stairs, he heard it again. The soft piano music. “You are my Sunshine” was playing and this time it sounded much closer than when he had heard it in the basement. In fact, it seemed to be coming from behind one of the bedroom doors that was open to a slight crack. 

“Okay, What the FUCK is that?” Quinn whispered. 

“It seems to be coming from over there,” Blaine pointed to the door.

“Wait, so that really wasn’t you then? When I heard it in the basement?” Kurt asked.

“Eh, no. I told you,” Blaine said as he started approaching the door where the music seemed to be coming from. 

“Wait!” Kurt grabbed his wrist. “You were the one who told me we _shouldn’t_ investigate when there was something suspicious going on, remember?!” 

“Kurt, you’re not actually scared, are you?” 

“I would rather call it cautious, thank you very much.” 

Blaine gave him a little affectionate smile before turning to the door again. “They probably just have a little tape recording playing to freak us out. Classic Nick” 

“That’s an awfully convincing tape recording if you ask me.” Mercedes said in a hushed voice. 

“We want to find them, right? Well, this is a clue!” Blaine pulled his wrist away and Kurt reluctantly let him go. The piano sound got louder with each step Blaine took towards the door until it was just the last phrase “ _please don’t take my sunshine away_ ” repeating itself again, over and over, getting louder and louder until it sounded like they had their ears pressed right against a piano. 

“I really, REALLY don’t feel good about this.” Mercedes said. “Blaine, please!” she pleaded. 

But as soon as Blaine’s fingers touched the door handle the piano music stopped dead. Mercedes let out a whimpered cry and closed her eyes tight. 

Blaine’s movement stilled and he quickly looked back at Kurt and the girls. Before closing his hand on the handle and pushing the door open slowly. “N-Nick?” He whispered “Jeff? Thad?” 

A freezing gust of wind escaped from the room as soon the door opened, sending chills right to Blaine’s core. 

Blaine swallowed hard. “Guys?” he said a little louder, but he fell quiet again when he heard something. Without the sound of the piano, a soft constant dripping noise had become audible. “ _What the hell?_ ” Blaine thought to himself. “Just come out guys. We know you’re here.” But there was no response. 

Blaine stepped inside what seemed to be the bedroom of a young girl. Dolls were displayed on the dresser. A ripped mosquito net was hanging over a single bed in the middle of the room. The dripping noise seemed to be coming from a door to Blaine’s right. He felt his heart racing and he was actually shaking. “Come on guys. This isn’t funny anymore.” 

He approached the door and opened it. He shined his flashlight into the room and _froze_ . He was looking inside of an old Victorian bathroom. The floor was wet, but not with water. No. With _blood._ The dripping came from a hand that was draped over the side of the bath. And inside of the bath, was Thad. 

“Blaine?” Kurt's voice came from behind him. “Blaine, did you find them?” 

Blaine couldn’t speak. He tried to scream. He wanted to turn around and run. But it was like he was nailed to the floor. 

“Blaine? You’re scaring me. What is it?” Kurt’s voice was worried. 

The only thing Blaine could manage was to raise his hand and point towards the bath. 

“It’s Th-Thad…” 

As soon as they figured out what was going on Mercedes _screamed_. The sound pierced through the house. 

“Oh my god we _have_ to get out of here! NOW!” Quinn shouted, fear in her eyes, but jaw set with determination. “Kurt, call the others.”

“I- I” Kurt looked from the lifeless body of Thad in the bath to Blaine. “Yes, okay.” He was functioning on autopilot and grabbed his phone. “I don’t have any reception here.” he cried. He noticed his heart starting to beat faster and faster but he tried not to panic. _Hold yourself together, Hummel._

“Then let’s just go outside and call the cops! Damn it!” 

“We can’t just leave the others inside! We need to find them! Or they might— They might just.” Kurt couldn’t bring himself to say it. “Quinn, you take Mercedes outside and call the police.” She nodded and took a shaking Mercedes by her arm. “I will go and find the others,” Kurt said, with a renewed sense of determination. “Blaine, you go with Quinn and Mercedes.” But Blaine did not respond. “Blaine, _please!_ ” 

“Kurt, I have to get Mercedes out of here.” Quinn said looking at him. 

“Yes, alright. Go. Please go! I’ll take care of Blaine!” 

Quinn and Mercedes vanished from the doorway and Kurt heard their footsteps die away on the stairs. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn’t what you’re used to from me. I am usually very happy writing fluff, but it was spooky season and I wanted to challenge myself a little so I hope y’all got spooked!!! >:)


	5. Chapter 5

* * *

**Written by klainetrashnumberone**

* * *

Kurt swallows and slowly turns around. Now it’s just him and Blaine. Just him, Blaine, and Thad. He takes a few hesitant steps past the doorway, peeking around the corner.

“Blaine…?” he calls out weakly.

There is no response. Kurt is becoming more and more worried, rounding the corner with hasty steps. He freezes-

“Blaine? Blaine! Blaine, where are you!?”

But no one is there. Just an abandoned flashlight lying on the floor, making the bloody bathroom floor glisten. His breath catches in his throat and he feels light-headed. The eerie silence of the house is broken only by the unsettling whistling of the cold wind blowing through the cracks of the old windows

“This can’t be happening,” he whispers under his breath. “This is just a cruel joke; no one is dead and Blaine is just hiding somewhere,” he continues in a feeble attempt to comfort himself. His voice sounds high and strained 

His breathing becomes ragged and irregular. Something crashes downstairs and a scream follows. He can hear the thumping footsteps of people running. Kurt takes a deep breath and grabs the flashlight off the floor, shining the light on the crimson bathtub in front of him. His stomach drops. He feels queasy. An _empty_ crimson bathtub.

His mouth opens, but no sound comes out; he stumbles backwards in sheer terror. 

The porcelain dolls on the dresser begin falling and shattering one by one, the wind is rising as a storm is starting outside. The water droplets pelt the roof and begin hitting against the dirty windows at an increasing pace. Kurt takes off down the hallway, the bloody soles of his shoes sliding slightly on the rotten wooden floor. He rushes down the stairs, barely staying upright, as the stairs rattle beneath him. 

“I’ve gotta get out of here.” 

His heart is pounding in his ears. The sound of shattering porcelain continues as the wind howls outside. The smell of dust and mold fills his nose and his lungs are burning, he feels like he’s suffocating.

“I just-” 

The pale yellow beam of the flashlight swings haphazardly and he can barely see where he is going. He bolts towards the front door, repeating the same mantra between gasps of the stuffy air.

“-have to get-”

He stops in his tracks, just a few steps away from the hot pink welcome mat, panting and trembling.

”I can’t.”

Kurt straightens his back and turns around, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He is terrified, but he is determined to get his friends out of this cursed house _if it’s the last thing he does._

* * *

**Meanwhile downstairs**

The teens scramble backwards frantically, eyes darting from one another to the ominous doll slowly moving towards them. Both the New Directions and the Warblers are now in real trouble. The haunted thing had followed them around the house, and now everyone is stuck in the living room, with the porcelain doll between them and the door.

The only sounds in the room are their ragged breathing and the hollow steps of the doll making its way towards them. The storm is raging outside and there are faint footsteps echoing from somewhere in the house. Tina lets out a sob and hides her face in Mike's shoulder. She does _not_ want to see. There is a chill in the air; even Jeff and Nick in their blazers shiver and hold each other closer **.** Artie peeks from behind Finn, looking at the little figure with cautious curiosity.

“Can’t we just deck the thing?” Puck asks as he digs around in his duffel bag for a crowbar.

“Dude, that seems kind of... insane” Sam figures as he discreetly pulls Puck’s duffel bag further away from the boy

“Something you’d expect from a delinquent,” Jeff sneers and Nick elbows him with a whispered,“Shut up,” masked by a fake cough

“I’m with Puckerman on this one. Let’s be done with this mess already. Don’t be such a wuss,” Lauren declares as she confidently grabs the bag, completely ignoring the two Warblers.

A door slams on the other side of the house and the teens startle, huddling further into the corner as if they could somehow disappear from the situation.

The doll starts speaking with a low, warped voice, its mouth moving with the words.

“Hello ki-”

Rachel lets out a high pitched squeal and throws her flashlight at the doll. The flashlight goes out as it hits the floor with a bang. The doll sways slightly from the strike, and turns its head. It’s now looking straight at Rachel, the blue glassy eyes glistening threateningly in the moonlight streaming from behind the planks on the windows. They are now in near total darkness, their eyes slowly adjusting to the abrupt change in lighting.

"Nice job, Hobbit. If that thing attacks us, we're totally leaving you behind as bait" Santana quips, and nudges Rachel harshly.

Rachel glares at her, then fearfully looks back at the doll in front of them. Her eyes flash with determination, and she makes a decision only Rachel could.

"Finn, as my boyfriend, it's your duty to DO SOMETHING!"

She lets out a cry, as she pushes the tall teen towards the figurine. He stumbles forward blindly, gaining his balance just in time to avoid falling on his face. Finn's fear of Rachel eclipses his fear of a possessed doll, so he takes a wobbly step forward, jumping slightly as the floor creaks beneath him. 

Warily, he picks up the flashlight Rachel had thrown, turns it back on and shines it at the figure. It looks strangely familiar. The pink attire it’s wearing, the round figure, the balding head **.** Finn seems to recognize it, and as soon as the thought reaches his consciousness, the doll turns its head and is now looking straight at Finn. He retreats hastily and announces with a voice full of dread,

"Guys I... I think that's a Ryerson doll. Like, _the_ Ryerson”

A wave of whispers goes through the room, Quinn and Mercedes glance at each other and gasp, "Oh my god." Britt waves cheerfully at the doll and Santana hisses at her to stop. They seem to forget that the doll is still in the room.

The voice returns, louder than before.

"You have made a fatal mistake, children. I don’t forgive and I don’t forget. Not all of you will be making it out of here.”

Not even Rachel dares to interrupt it this time.

"What do you want from us? Leave us alone!" Tina calls out, fear seeping into her voice.

The toy didn’t have time to answer, as fast paced footsteps neared them and the door to the hallway slammed open, bright light shining inside.

“Thank goodness I found you guys!”


	6. Chapter 6

* * *

**Written by Carmex**

* * *

A clammy hand on his mouth, a tight grip around his waist, a body towering over him from behind, breath tingling across the hairs on the back of his neck. 

“He’s gone. Stop fighting back and I will loosen my hold.” 

A whine, then relaxing muscles, the hand slowly moved away from his mouth, he sucked his lungs full of oxygen again.

“What the fuck, Trent? Are you completely out of your mind? This was not part of the plan! Stop laughing, moron.”

“I can’t!” Trent’s words were punctuated by laughter. “You were really scared there for a moment.”

“Hilarious,” Blaine stated without emotion.

“Oh, come on Mister, you were practically begging us to plan something behind your back when you first found out, shot down every idea _and_ told Wes. How could you tell Wes? That’s like snitching to mommy and you know it.”

“Someone had to tell him. Your plans wouldn’t just scare them a little, they would traumatise them.”

“And look how that worked out for you.”

Blaine just huffed, causing Trent to start laughing again.

“Where are we anyway?”, asked Blaine, changing the topic. Hidden chamber the obvious answer. “This wasn’t even here when we had a look around here.”

“Yeah, I know, but my parents are rich.”

“How is that even an answer, Trent?” 

“Well it’s the only explanation I’ll be giving you.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. It was no explanation at all, but he knew mentioning that wouldn’t get him anywhere. He tried looking around, but the room was dark and with both of them cramped in there was not not much space left. His hand slid across the wall, trying to find a doorknob. “Can we get out of here now?”

“Yeah, as soon as David’s here.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“What? No. This thing doesn’t open from the inside, so he’s got to let us out.”

“So, you knowingly dragged us into a tiny hidden room we can’t get out of- “

“We absolutely can get out of it.”

“Not by ourselves, Trent.”

“Technicalities.”

“Technical…. You’ve got to be joking. Have you guys thought about this at all? What if there’s a fire?”

Trent just laughed. Blaine frowned, “This is not funny, we could die!”

“This is way funnier than I hoped it would be. Calm down, psycho. There won’t be a fire. And even if there was one, Kurt wouldn’t let his darling Warbler burn to death.”

“He doesn’t even know we’re in here!”

“That might be a problem in that scenario.”

Blaine just huffed, sliding down the wall trying to sit comfortably in that tiny space. He fit just fine until Trent decided to join him on the ground.

“Leave me some space, giant.”

“I’m not the one with the big butt, hobbit.”

“Remember: you’re straight, Trent.” That earned Blaine a shove even closer to the wall. “When will David come and get us?”

“Will you freak out again if I tell you he was supposed to unlock us by now?”

Blaine just hugged his legs, let his head fall to his knees, and muttered a “No” into them. Both boys stayed silent for a while. There was a scream somewhere in the house, Blaine just hugged his legs tighter, Trent laughed again. “Do I even want to know what else you guys planned?” asked Blaine.

“Probably not, no.”

“Okay.” Blaine let out a sigh of resignation. “What is that smell?”

“What smell?”

“The disgusting one that takes up the whole space?”

“Oh, that. That’s our blood.”

“Our?”

“Yeah, we made it ourselves. It’s mostly beetroot juice and glue.”

“Perfect! Why not ruin the pants Kurt complimented me for?”

“Just a reason for him to take them off, man.”

Now even Blaine cannot help but laugh a little. “You’re a moron.”

“I am, but you’d still let him strip you out of those any given day.”

“Yeah.”

They were silent for another moment.

“I really want David to get us out of here,” Blaine admitted.

“Me too, man. My legs are cramped, and I need to pee.”

“Oh, dear god,” Blaine muttered.

“Anyway,” Trent continued, “nice freestyle with the piano thing. You had Jeff freaked out for a moment there.”

“I didn’t play the piano.”

“Blaine, we heard you.”

“I heard the piano, too. But it wasn’t me playing.”

“But you’re the only one of us who knows how to play.”

“Yeah, I know.”


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

**Co-written by BlurglesmurfKlaine and Esperanto**

* * *

“Do you think this place really _is_ haunted?” Trent asked, fear creeping into his eyes.

Blaine thought about the piano, the way that the music had stopped at the exact moment he had touched the door to the room, and the scream they had heard from downstairs. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but then again, he had never had any reason to before tonight.

“I don’t know, man.” It came out as a whisper.

Blaine wished the New Directions had never come up with this horrible plan. Maybe that way, he would be sitting on the Hummel’s couch right now, watching Halloween movies with Kurt. It was the best way he could imagine spending the holiday; this, on the other hand, had to be the worst. He hated the tiny cupboard he was shut in with Trent. He hated the way his shoes stuck to the floor and the saccharine sweetness of the fake blood. That reminded him…

“Hey, where did Thad go, anyways?”

“Huh?” Trent asked.

“Thad? Our _friend_ that you made me believe was _dead_!” Trent looked guilty as Blaine’s voice pitched up, betraying the genuine fear and sadness he had felt before Trent had snatched him into the cupboard. “You really took it too far this time. Quinn has probably called the police by now.”

“Shit, really? He was supposed to jump out and scare you guys. We didn’t plan it that way. We really have to get out of here.”

“Really? You don’t say,” Blaine replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Trent gave him a wan smile and then began to pound on the door. “Help! Somebody help! We’re trapped in here! Let us out!”

* * *

**Meanwhile downstairs...**

“Thank goodness I found you guys!”

There was a loud crash as the door to the living room burst open and eleven pairs of eyes turned to see who it could be. A tall figure stood in the door frame, the bright light from behind it obscuring its features.

Quinn let out an ear-piercing scream. The figure screamed back.

“Quinn?”

“Kurt?”

“What on earth is _that_ monstrosity?” He asked, gesturing to the doll as Quinn rushed to cower behind him, locking his hand in a deathgrip.

As if answering his question, the doll’s eerie voice made him jump. “You’ve been poked. Poked by The Dagger.”

“The Dagger?” Kurt screeched, turning his head to exchange a worried glance with Quinn. “What the hell does it _mean, The Dagger?”_

“Oh my god,” Tina cried. “Do you think that’s what got Kurt’s friend’s friend?”

“Thad!” Kurt shouted out a reminder. He himself didn’t need one. He hadn’t been able to get the image of Blaine’s blood soaked friend lying lifeless in the tub. After what happened to him, Kurt had assumed the worst, though he was hoping for the best.

Just then, a strange moaning sound came from behind Kurt. He whirled around but could see nothing.

Quinn tightened her grip on Kurt’s hand. “Monster,” she shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the figure in the doorway.

The figure took a step towards them, arms outstretched. Finn pointed his flashlight at the beast, revealing that it was drenched in blood. He let out an undignified screech of terror. “Don’t eat me!”

“Dude, it’s me, Thad. I’m not going to eat you, that’s ridiculous.”

Mercedes and Quinn both stared at him, eyes as wide as saucers. Mercedes pointed a trembling finger at him, “B-b-but you died. You were dead. How can you be alive?”

“See!” Finn exclaimed. “He’s a zombie. Stay back, zombie!” he shouted at Thad.

Thad looked at all of them incredulously. “Are you serious? I’m not a zombie; it was a _prank_! This isn’t real blood it’s just something Trent and David mixed up. It does look pretty convincing, though, doesn’t it?” he added, looking way too proud of himself.

Quinn was clutching Mercedes, still regarding him fearfully. “So y-y-you’re okay? You’re really okay?”

“Yup,” he said cheerfully. A little _too_ cheerfully, if you were to ask Kurt.

“Well, if this is all a hoax then how do you explain _that_ ?” Rachel pointed at the strange doll standing on the floor between the rest of them and Thad. “It...it _talked_.”

Thad’s eyebrows furrowed together. He glanced over to Nick and Jeff. “I don’t...I don’t know. That wasn’t part of the plan. Things really haven’t been going according to the plan.”

Rachel rounded on Nick and Jeff. “You _knew_ that Thad was alive and you didn’t think to _tell us_? We were terrified! Quinn nearly fainted!”

Nick and Jeff exchanged worried glances. “We were a little distracted by Chucky over here.”

Speaking of the devil, the doll began to speak again. “Children, why do you tarry?”

Thad shrieked. “Oh my god, it really does talk!”

The doll continued. “Those who stay in my dollhouse too long are doomed to live here forever.”

“Doomed to live here forever?” asked Nick in a quavering voice.

“You don’t think...all the dolls...I mean...could they all have once been...people?” Quinn was as white as a sheet.

“Why is everyone just standing around here? We need to get out of this house!” Kurt urged.

“If we leave now, we’ll never get our good luck blessing for Regionals,” Rachel countered.

“You have got to be kidding me! You saw what just went down. Better unlucky than turned into a doll forever!”

The eerie voice of the doll spoke again. “Yes, listen to the beautiful elfin boy. You should leave.”

Kurt let out an exasperated grunt and grabbed Quinn’s flashlight, hurling it straight at the horrible little doll.

There was a crackle of electricity and then the doll sputtered out a few more words “...don’t...do….that…” but the voice sounded like a dying record.

Once the terrible machine whirred down and stayed silent for a few moments, Mercedes poked her head out from where she had been hiding behind Sam. “Is it...dead?” she asked, her usually powerful voice trembling almost as much as her hands..

“I’m not convinced it was ever alive,” said Rachel.

“I can’t believe it… was it a fucking robot the whole time?” Puck yelled, his fury apparent to the rest of the members.

He walked up to the doll and nudged it with his boot. There were a few sparks. He took a step back. The doll slid along the floor. “What in the absolute fuck?”

“It _is_ a cursed doll!” Quinn wailed.

Kurt walked over to investigate and crouched down next to Puck’s boot.

“Be careful, Kurt!” Mercedes called out.

His nimble fingers traced the seams of Puck’s boot until they caught on something thin and fine, like a spider’s web. Kurt carefully pulled and suddenly the doll was following him instead of Puck.

“Oooh I don’t like this,” said Tina.

“It’s fine. The doll isn’t haunted… it’s being held up by invisible thread, see?” Kurt lifted his hand aloft and the doll dangled limply in the air.

Rachel’s eyes flashed and she rounded on Nick and Jeff. “This was all a Warbler trick, wasn’t it? Just admit it! First you faked Thad’s death and now this!”

Nick and Jeff both threw up their hands against the onslaught of accusations. “We didn’t!” Jeff defended.

“I swear, we thought it was real!” added Nick.

Rachel snorted, looking thoroughly unconvinced. 

As Kurt did a head count of everyone in the room, a sinking feeling began to grow in the pit of his stomach when he realized not everyone who came into the house was in the living room. “Hey, guys? Has anyone seen Blaine?” Kurt asked in a worried tone.

The rest of the New Directions swiveled their heads around, taking note of the missing Warbler.

“Yeah, where is the hobbit?” Santana nodded.

Nick looked around, biting his lip. “Trent and David were supposed to be here too but I haven’t seen them at all tonight.”

“Who?” Santana asked impatiently.

“Our other friend—the one who, uh, _didn’t_ fake his death,” Nick pointed out sheepishly.

“Okay,” Kurt stated authoritatively. “We have three missing Warblers in a giant creepy dollhouse. I suggest we split up, cover more ground so we can find them faster.”

“Why should we even give these privileged porcelain birds a second thought after the cruel tricks they played on us!?” Rachel whined.

“Because _Blaine_ is one of those privileged porcelain birds,” Kurt countered. “And he’s my friend. I care about him,” he added softly.

“Uh-huh,” Jeff mumbled, nudging Nick in the ribcage. “Friends, sure.”

“Don’t forget,” Nick added daringly to the tiny terror that was Rachel Berry. “If you guys don’t make it to sunrise, you don’t get your good luck charm.” He raised an eyebrow. “We’ve seen your Regionals performance from last year. You’ll need it.”

“Fine!” Rachel huffed in exasperation. 

Puck narrowed his eyes at the Warblers, leering threateningly at them. Nick and Jeff both gulped.

“A-anyways, shall we group up? Kurt, why don’t you come with us? We haven’t been upstairs yet so you can show us where to go.”

Kurt cocked his head to the side, considering them with suspicion. He hardly knew Nick and Jeff but surely they wanted to find Blaine just as much as he did. Well, almost as much.

“Sure,” he agreed with a shrug. “The last place I saw Blaine was in that horrible bathroom where Thad faked his death so let’s head up there; maybe he’s somewhere nearby.”

“Finn and I will search the ground floor,” Rachel announced, immediately claiming the least creepy part of the house. “I think I’ll join you for, uh, obvious reasons,” Artie added.

Quinn, Mercedes, and Puck volunteered to search the grounds. Everyone else was left with the unpleasant task of searching the basement.

Kurt shined his flashlight on the moldy carpet of the grand staircase, leading Nick and Jeff back upstairs, back to the room he had fled just a little while ago. His heart pounded in his chest. He was afraid to think about what might have become of Blaine. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this house didn’t add up. 

By the time he made it back to the bathroom, his hands were shaking. The fake blood had begun to congeal on the floor of the bathroom, making it less convincing. “Well, this is the last place I saw Blaine,” he said forlornly. The room was empty. Blaine was nowhere to be seen. 

Then there was a sound coming from an indeterminate location. The hollow sound of knuckles on wood. And a muffled “Help!”

“Blaine?” he cried out desperately.

The muffled voice responded, this time a little bit louder. “Kurt? Is that you?”

“Yes! Yes, it’s me. I’m going to get you out of there...wherever there is. Where are you?”

“I don’t know exactly but it’s this secret room…” his voice got quieter and Kurt realized he was talking to someone else, “...how did you get in here, numbskull?”

Kurt brightened up at the realization that all three lost Warblers might be nearly found.

“Okay,” Blaine’s dampened voice came through the wood again, a little more clearly this time, and Kurt followed it to the wall shared with the bedroom next door. As Blaine continued guiding Kurt through on how to find the opening, Kurt was forced to walk over the thick fake blood splattered all over the room. It was fake, sure, but it still gave him the creeps. 

“Go to the bedroom,” Blaine explained. “Trent says you have to open the third drawer of the breakfront, the one with all the creepy dolls, and this door in the wall should open.”

Kurt, Nick, and Jeff retraced their steps back into the unsettling child’s bedroom, the floor littered with shards of porcelain. There were a few intact dolls that had survived the earlier gale but Kurt was sure not to make eye contact with any of them. The eyes are the windows to the souls, and he did not want to see what was lurking in the darkness of theirs. 

Nick pulled on the drawer and there was a quiet click. A seam suddenly appeared in the wall. There was no doorknob but Kurt managed to work his fingers into the space between the door and the wall, enough to pry it open.

The light from Kurt’s flashlight gave him a brief glimpse of Blaine’s relieved face before he had an armful of his friend. He nearly fell over but managed to steady himself. 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! I thought I would be stuck in there with _Trent_ forever.”

“Hey!” Trent objected.

“We helped, you know,” Jeff pointed out.

“I’m sorry, you’re both right. I was just so relieved to be free that’s all.”

Nick, Jeff, and Trent all exchanged knowing looks that Kurt did not like one bit.

“We are right, Jeff, aren’t we?” Nick asked in a mischievous tone. 

“Always,” Jeff agreed with a twinkle in his eyes.

Kurt exchanged worried glances with Blaine.

“So we are definitely right in knowing that you two need to spend some _quality_ time together,” Nick declared.

“Wha—?” Kurt started to protest but then he was shoved in the stomach, causing him to fall backwards into the secret room.

Then darkness.

“Kurt?” a shaky voice asked.

At least he wasn’t alone in there. “Blaine?”

Kurt heard a shuffling sound and then a thump as Blaine tried to open the door. “I think we’re locked in. Again.”

“Why would they do that, Blaine? I thought they were your friends?”

“I don’t know,” Blaine said, voice filled with an even mix of confusion and sadness. “We were so close to getting everyone out of this nightmare house!”

Kurt banged his fist against the door that’d just been shut in his face. “Hey! Let us out of here!” he demanded.

Blaine threw his back up against the other wall of the tiny room, sinking down to the floor in defeat. “It’s no use. They’re the only ones who would even think to look here.” Kurt paused his yelling when Blaine let out a forlorn sigh. “I honestly just want this night to be over and go home.”

Despite the fact that his jeans were most definitely not made to be touched by dust, Kurt took a seat on the floor next to Blaine. With a shrug, he leaned into Blaine, pushing their shoulders together. “Could be worse,” he admitted. 

“How?”

“We could have been separated again.”

Blaine chuckled. “This whole night has been pretty insane, but that was definitely my least favorite part.”

“And if you had to pick a favorite?” Kurt said, only half jokingly.

“Easy. Finding you again.”

Kurt let out a small laugh. “You’re just saying that.”

“I’m really not,” Blaine admitted. Kurt sucked in a small breath when he felt Blaine’s hand inch towards his until it landed on his own, sending a surge of warmth all the way up to his chest. “I know we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, but I feel like it’ll always sort of be like that. We’ll always find each other again. Even when I was lost in this haunted funhouse.”

“Don’t let the Warblers or New Directions hear you,” Kurt said. He kept the tone light and teasing because he wasn’t sure if his heart could handle the gravity of the alternative—the idea that Blaine might not care for Kurt the same way he cares for him. “They might think you’ve got a crush on me or something.” He let out a nervous laugh. “I mean, as if, right? Hah!”

Blaine went quiet for a moment. A little too quiet. “And… what if that wasn’t as far from the truth as you thought it was?”

Though the light was minimal, Kurt swung his head to look at Blaine, eyes wide. “What?” he asked, a bit breathlessly. “Blaine… are… do you—”

“No! I mean...yes! I mean...not if you just want to be friends!” Blaine stopped him quickly. “I definitely don’t want to, you know, make things weird or anything, because you’re so, _so_ important to me, Kurt. I could never let any of the Warblers know this, but you are probably my best friend at this point.”

“You’re mine, too,” Kurt agreed. 

“I’ve just never connected with anyone the way I do with you, and I don’t think I realized it at first, but I really like you. A lot. But like I said, our friendship is more important than that, so if you don’t—”

“Will you shut up?” Kurt cut him off. “I’ve literally been in love with you since we met.” 

“Oh, thank god,” Blaine said in a rush, laughing nervously. “Because I was just saying that about being okay with just being friends.”

Kurt rolled his eyes. “Well, that makes two of us.”

Before either of them knew what was happening, Kurt threw his arms around Blaine’s neck, crashing their lips together and sending them tumbling down towards the cold and dusty floor. Blaine brought a hand up to Kurt’s cheek, and Kurt could feel him smiling against his lips. 

In that moment, all Kurt could really think about was how this was exactly what a first kiss should be like, haunted house notwithstanding.

Although they both wished the moment could last forever, their moment of bliss was abruptly cut short by a loud clicking noise. Before either of them could even ask what the noise was, gravity sent them tumbling backwards into total darkness, just a tangled mess of screams and limbs.

After a few seconds of falling through what seemed to be some sort of chute, they finally tumbled out into… 

“Where the hell are we?”

A single shaft of moonlight illuminated a patch of salmon pink carpeting. Kurt was shocked to see that unlike everything else in the house, it looked soft and clean. 

Blaine switched on his flashlight and swung it around the room. Kurt’s breath hitched when he saw the walls. 

Dolls.

Rows and rows of dolls. 

Floor to ceiling dolls. 

Porcelain. Marionette. Rag. Christian Alexander. Geisha. Baby. 

Blaine’s jaw dropped. “What the—”

“—Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Kurt and Blaine whirled around. It took a moment for Blaine to find the figure with his flashlight.

“Mr. Ryerson?” they gasped. “What are you _doing_ here?”

A man stepped out from behind a layer of sheer curtains, wearing a silken fuchsia kimono that barely covered his nether regions. “Well, I suppose the cat’s out of the bag anyway. I live here.”

Kurt wrinkled his nose in disgust. “So _you’re_ the one behind this atrocious interior design?”

He held a hand to his chest and scoffed, clearly offended. ‘I’ll have you know, I got those ballet slipper pink toilet seat covers at Sheets-n-Things. They are edged in real lace.”

Flabbergasted, Kurt fingered the horribly bright pink curtains. “And bubblegum curtains? That’s inhumane.”

“That’s _taste.”_

“Wait,” Blaine shook his head in confusion, “I thought this place was abandoned years ago. No one’s supposed to live here.”

Mr. Ryerson strolled over to a nearby table with dolls neatly perched on each chair, plucking one with strawberry blonde hair and placing it in his lap as he took its place. He crossed his legs and his kimono rose up, nearly exposing Kurt to sights that would have haunted him for years to come. “And no one does live here. At least not on paper.”

“It’s been you, hasn’t it?” Kurt asked. “You’re the one who’s been toying with us this whole night, controlling those animatronic dolls, playing that creepy piano music?”

“I don’t know what piano nonsense you’re prattling on about, but yes, the dolls were me. I didn’t want to have to kill anyone else for uncovering my secrets. It just all gets so messy.” The older man reached across the table and took a teapot from another doll’s grasp, pouring himself a cup. Kurt didn’t want to know how long it had even been sitting there, didn’t want to think about how stale and tasteless the beverage might be, or if it was even actually _tea_ in there.

Blaine gulped nervously. “Anyone else?”

Mr. Ryerson took a long and obnoxiously loud sip, lifting his pinking up as he did. He smiled after, seeming satisfied with himself. “Tea time,” he sang quietly to himself. After savoring a few more sips, he set the cup down and stared blankly at the boys. “Yes. After one of your little bird buddies stumbled across my secret lair, I had to tie him up like the curious little cat he is.”

“David!?” Blaine gasped.

“I suppose I’ll have to do the same to you.”

Kurt gave a nonchalant shrug. “Do it. We’re not afraid of you.” 

Blaine snapped his head towards Kurt, eyes wide and frightened. “We’re not?”

“Nope. Our friends are upstairs, and even if you do kill us, they’ll know exactly where to tell the police to come looking if we don’t make it home tonight.” Kurt folded his arms across his chest and raised an eyebrow. “And something tells me you don’t want anyone else snooping around down here. Besides, no one should be forced to have their eyes assaulted by the decor of this room.”

“I resent that.” Mr. Ryerson pursed his lips at the boys, as if assessing them. With a loud sigh, he put his teacup back on the table. “I suppose you’re right.” He waved them away. “Off you go, younglings. Exit’s just out the door behind you and to the left.” 

“We’re not going anywhere without David.” Kurt demanded forcefully.

Perhaps it was the full moon in the sky, but it seemed that Sandy was not up for the fight tonight. He let out another labored sigh and rocked himself up from the wooden chair, which let out a strained creak. 

He produced a large iron key from the pocket of his kimono and unlocked a door behind him.

The door swung open, revealing a terrified David sitting on a lone chair, wrists bound and a cloth stuffed in his mouth.

“David!” Blaine exclaimed in concern, rushing towards his fellow Warbler.

Sandy rolled his eyes as Blaine brushed past him. “I don’t know why he’s being so dramatic. For Hepburn’s sake, the room’s painted Drunk Tank Pink. It’s scientifically proven to have calming qualities.”

“What the hell were you going to do to me?” David asked in terror as soon as Blaine untied him. 

“Add you to my collection, of course.”

After staring in horror for a moment, Blaine took David under his arm and hurried him out back with Kurt. “Let’s get the fuck outta here,” David mumbled.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” Blaine agreed.

Kurt rushed to help support David’s weight as soon as Blaine emerged with his friend. 

Blaine took one last look at Mr. Ryerson over his shoulder and spat out, “you’re a really horrible person.”

“You sound like my court appointed therapist.” Ryerson’s voice called out after them as they left. “Oh come on, I was kidding about the whole collection thing!” 

They shoved open the basement door and breathed a sigh of relief to be free of the stale air and the vomitous shades of pink. Even better, they were greeted by the smiling faces of the New Directions and the Warblers, all of whom looked delighted and relieved to see them.

“David?” Jeff shouted. “Oh, thank god! We looked everywhere and had just about given up hope.” David’s Warbler brothers greeted him joyfully and then the group finally, finally, made their way to the front door of the house.

Although it wasn’t a long way to the exit, it felt like an eternity before they pushed on the long wooden door that led outside. Kurt shivered as a cool breeze of October air met his cheeks.

He expected to be met with the pitch black darkness of Halloween night, but was surprised to find that the sky was beginning to be tinged with streaks of red and orange.

“Holy crap,” Puck muttered. “Did we actually freaking do it?”

“You mean did _we_ actually do it,” Jeff corrected him. “Nick and I were hiding in there well before your combat boots even hit the floor. I think that means that _we_ get the good luck.”

“Over my dead body!” Rachel protested.

Mercedes shook her head, then glared at Thad. “Too soon.”

“Yeah, we’re the ones who were traumatized by that awful prank!” Tina added.

“I’m sorry,” David butt in. “Were you the one gagged and bound by a squatter.”

“You were what!?” Trent asked.

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Arguments from both sides were started, but Kurt cut them off before they got out of hand. “Wait, wait, wait just a second. The legend states that whoever makes it from sunset to sunrise receives good luck. If we all made it, don’t we all get the good luck? Wouldn’t it just...cancel each other out? I already thought this plan was stupid, but it’s even stupider if we just endured a night of absolute terror for nothing!”

“I don’t know if it was for nothing,” Blaine said playfully.

Kurt gave him a questioning glance that was answered by Blaine reaching down and lacing their fingers together.

“We got each other out of all this.”

“Wait a second, are porcelain and Borat dating now?” Santana questioned, receiving no reply.

Kurt smiled and ducked his head shyly. “Well, you’re right about that,” he admitted. “Id definitely beats a lousy trophy. Besides, as I suspected, the house wasn’t even haunted.”

“Right,” Mike agreed. “Thad’s death was actually just the Warbler’s warped idea of a joke.”

“That weird doll mechanic stuff was all just Ryerson being a psycho.” David added.

Quinn twisted her face up in confusion. “Did we ever figure out where that piano music was coming from?”

Warblers and New Directions alike exchanged glances, waiting for _someone_ to come up with a logical explanation, yet everyone seemed to be coming up short. 

Blaine finally broke the few moments of tense silence that followed. “I think… we should just be happy we all made it out of there in one piece, and go home.”

In that moment, a silent agreement was made between the glee club members as they walked home, Kurt and Blaine still hand in hand.

Some questions are better left unanswered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 👻Happy Halloween!! 🎃
> 
> We all hope you enjoyed our story! Leave a comment and let us know what you thought!


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